Laramie

Spring thaw swells the rivers around a Wyoming army post, where officers and their families live close enough to watch one another's affairs. Charles King's frontier novel opens at Laramie during the Sioux War of 1876. Nellie Bayard has joined her father, a surgeon resentful of his remote assignment, after growing up with her grandparents. Her affection for him contrasts with the less flattering judgments of people around the garrison.

The social life of the post shares space with the demands of military service. Wounded officers return under escort, households become places of care, and Dr. Bayard's frequent visits to the Forrest family stir competing interpretations among his neighbors. Detailed river scenery gives way to conversations about manners, attachments and reputation. Readers interested in historical fiction about army communities will find a story shaped by family loyalties and the close scrutiny of life in a small frontier settlement.